Sea truffle farming

From the late 1990s and for almost all the 2000s, the production of clams (Tapes philippinarum) in the Venetian lagoons was one of the main revenue sources for local fishermen. However, the lack of youth recruitment, coupled with a general depreciation of the product, has led to a crisis in the sector. The warty venus clam (Venus verrucosa), also known as a “sea truffle” for its high economic value, has also been present in the area and sometimes caught as by-catch though never commercialized because of the scarce capture volumes.

A local fisheries cooperative, in partnership with a research institute (Agri.Te.Co) and the Venetian FLAG, decided to experiment with breeding and cultivating these warty venus clams to diversify the area’s aquaculture production and increase the market supply of local fisheries products. As these bivalve molluscs are traditionally consumed raw, the product quality required close monitoring and the project aimed to test whether it was feasible to cultivate sea truffles to food safety standards and whether the activity could be economically viable. It was hoped that by moving the clams to designated areas of the lagoon, they could be grown to commercial size while assuring the necessary quantity. This pilot project involved several phases:

• Identification of potential breeding areas in the lagoon for the experimental clam farming
• Preparation of the sea bottom to make it suitable for testing
• Involvement of local fishermen to collect the clams and relocate them to the designated breeding areas
• Sanitary monitoring of the clams (water quality and bacterial testing of the clams)
• Periodic monitoring of clam population development